Headlines from China: Timo Vuorensola Starts Shooting ‘Iron Sky: The Ark’ at Wanda Studios

From left: Duan Yihong, Andy Garcia and Rhydian Vaughan

Timo Vuorensola Starts Shooting ‘Iron Sky: The Ark’ at Wanda Studios in Qingdao

On December 8, the production opening ceremony of ‘Iron Sky: The Ark,’ the third installment of the cult ‘Iron Sky’ franchise, took place in Qingdao, China. Directed by Finish Director Timo Vuorensola and stars Andy Garcia (‘The Godfather Part III’)  and Duan Yihong (‘The Looming Storm’), the film tells the story of a few Chinese scientists who successfully decipher a message from the moon and save the earth from environmental issues and exhaustion of resources. Vuorensola previously lived in China for five months and discovered Chinese mythology, which inspired him to write this story. ‘Iron Sty: The Ark’ is eyeing a Chinese New Year release in early 2019. Read more on Mtime

Shanghai Disney to Raise Ticket Prices As Visitor Traffic Continues to Grow

After operating in China for one year and a half, Shanghai Disney will implement three tier pricing to replace its current two tier pricing. In addition, it will raise ticket prices in order to control traffic as well as improve visitor experience. According to a performance report released by the company, Shanghai Disney attracted over eleven million visitors and has turned profitable during the first year of its opening. It remains to be seen if Shanghai Disney’s new pricing strategy will impact attendance. A good news for Disney fans is that the park will open a new section in April 2018 based on the ‘Toy Story’ movies. Read more on Ent Group

Hong Kong Director Pang Ho-cheung to Make Wuxia Trilogy with Celluloid

Yesterday, Hong Kong filmmaker Pang Ho-cheung (‘Love in A Puff’) attended the 2nd Macao International Film Festival & Awards, and revealed his upcoming projects at a press conference. Pang is in the process of planning his wuxia trilogy, which is set in Qing dynasty and will be shot on film. Pang explains that he has chosen film over digital, as shooting on film is very expensive. He intends to create an intense shooting environment for the cast and crew in order to make everyone try their best. pang also mentioned that he would make his first English language movie after making the wuxia trilogy. Read more on Mtime

‘Operation Red Sea’ Set for Chinese New Year Release 

According to an official announcement, Hong Kong director Dante Lan Chiu-Yin’s ‘Operation Red Sea,’ a new film that follows the success of his big action hit from last October, ‘Operation Mekong,’ has been scheduled to release on February 16, the first day of 2018 Chinese new year. The film was loosely based on the 2015 crisis in Yemen when China evacuated roughly 600 Chinese citizens and over 200 foreign nationals during the Yemeni Civil War. ‘Operation Red Sea’ took Lam five months to shoot, and most of the shooting took place in the mountains and desert in Morocco. Because of its main plots, ‘Operation Red Sea’ is seen as a “main melody” (propaganda) film that intends to glorify The People’s Liberation Army Navy. Read more on 1905.com